The Mount Brown Hut Track is a serious little West Coast climb near Lake Kaniere, inland from Hokitika. It gains height quickly through forest and opens to views over the lake, the Tasman Sea, and the broken country that makes this part of the South Island feel so raw.
This is a track for fit walkers, not a casual lakeside stroll. The reward is the hut and the sense of being abruptly above the coast, with weather moving fast and the green West Coast bush dropping away below.